The answer to teaching a legally
blind child in a South Carolina public classroom traditionally has been
large-print books and materials for that child’s use. Results from a study
conducted by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Storm Eye
Institute’s (SEI) Feldberg Center and the South Carolina School for the
Deaf and Blind (SCSDB) suggests that optical aids work better in improving
the reading abilities and skills of visually impaired children than
large-print books.
“An optical aid designed for each individual student’s level of impairment
seems to hold more promise in helping each student reach his or her
maximum level of performance,” said* *Stephen Morse, O.D., Ph.D., SEI
Feldberg Center for Vision Rehabilitation director.
Project Magnify tested the idea that visually impaired students who use
magnification devices for reading will perform as well or better than
visually impaired students using large print reading material. The project’s
success in its pilot format has resulted in a commitment from the South
Carolina Department of Education to bring low-vision examinations and
visual devices, with training in the use of the devices conducted by
teachers of the visually impaired, to groups of 20 students each academic
year through at least 2010.
Jeanie Farmer, SCSDB Vision Instruction coordinator, said, “Since 2005, 19
students in 11 South Carolina school districts have demonstrated
tremendous gains in reading abilities as well as greater independence and
confidence in home and community activities. Thirty students will have an
opportunity to benefit from the program during the 2007-2008 school year.”
In the current study, students in the experimental group had low-vision
devices prescribed by a low-vision doctor and read standard
grade-level-sized print with their magnifiers. Students in the control
group received large print reading materials. All students took oral and
silent reading tests at the beginning and end of the 2005-2006 school
year, and their reading rates were recorded. Of the students using the
magnification devices, all increased their reading rate; approximately
half showed an increase in reading comprehension, and most decreased the
reading font size required to see the text. Those who did not receive the
magnification devices and who used large-print books continued to read at
their respective font sizes by the end of the year; no one in that group
increased reading comprehension; and only a handful of students increased
their reading rate when compared with the experimental group.
The study findings lend evidence to the concept that one size does not fit
all when it comes to large-print books. “Large print may be fine for one
visually impaired student, but significantly too small for another, and
way too big for yet a third,” Farmer said.
Books are only part of the everyday struggle for children with low-vision
who seek education in the same environment as their normal-sighted peers,
as these children often struggle to copy things from the board, find the
right bus in the bus line and correctly measure the chemicals in a science
laboratory experiment. In addition, the costs are high to enlarge color
photos, graphs, charts and other instructional tools that teachers provide
for their classes. According to Jill Ischinger, the director of the South
Carolina Instructional Resource Center, the cost of providing a set of
books to students each year is approximately $2,237 per student.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is
the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the
tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC
educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly
10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest
non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have
collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a
600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children’s
Hospital, a leading Institute of Psychiatry, and a world renowned Storm
Eye Institute. For more information on academic information or clinical
services, visit musc.edu or muschealth.